General principles and design strategy of optimal reconfigurable manufacturing systems

Abstract

The general principles and the strategy of design of the optimal reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMSs) are given in this article. It is shown that an indispensable condition of creation of optimum RMS is creation of the bank of the design information formalized in the form of a technological code of the product accumulation models of products and their elements, and also providing a two-way operatively communication between it and all manufacturing systems (MSs). The general algorithm of the choice of an optimum configuration of MS with the detailed description of all main stages is offered. The authors proposeed a scheme of distribution of a flow of orders in which it is offered to distinguish three types of structure of technological processes: parallel, consecutive, and mixed, and four levels of hierarchy of production: sectoral, enterprise (plant), shop, and site. The general algorithm of the choice of an optimum configuration of MS is developed and described in detail.